#FeastOfTheWitch Under a Sinister Moon
Band: Feast of the Witch
Title: Under a Sinister Moon
Label: Fiadh Productions
Release date: 21 July 2023
Country: Ireland
Format reviewed: High-quality Digital Recording
Can a 5-track EP be strong and captivating enough to catch your attention and make you feel all the Black Metal greatness in less than 24 minutes? The answer is “yes”, and you’ve got the name of this EP in front of your eyes. “Under a Sinister Moon” by Feast of the Witch was released on May 26th by Fiadh Productions, a label I’m checking a lot lately because they release great stuff. Feast of the Witch is a one man band, and those of you reading my reviews already know that I’m a sucker for these kind of projects… sooo, I wanted to review this man’s debut EP. Azaketh is his name, and oh boy… this sounds sooo spectacular…
And, what’s great when we talk about music? Regarding the quality sound, the perfect execution of the instruments and vocals, the accurate mixing and mastering of it all, in order you have an outstanding musical product… Yes, all this. But I like going beyond the music and focus on the emotions that a song, an album… can bring to me. And these few tracks have reached my soul like only a few can do. Black Metal is a very emotional genre for me. And I love being surprised from time to time with new bands.
First track in “Under a Sinister Moon” is a short intro that “puts you into situation” as we say in my country, or “puts you in the right mood”. Barely a minute and a half of an ominous sound and oppressive atmosphere, with some terror screams that make appear some horrific images in your head. And then, the second track explodes. “Obliterate us all” is a perfect title for this one; of course it’s Black Metal and I can’t understand the lyrics, and let me say Azaketh vocals are damn good, pure obscurity, tortured gnarled screams… And, looking at the lyrics, I see how per-fect-ly fit:
“We crave oblivion, we crave the end
Death beyond death
It calls us forth, the only truth
Drink deep and disintegrate”
Lyrics talking about death, obscurity… yeah, just normal things of life.
The third track, “Coven”, starts with a quite eerie riff, and soon drums set on a steady pace, and vocals enter a few later, that kind of ripped deep growls that make me shiver. Damn, this sounds so perfect! Pure black and dark essence. Almost 6 minutes of steaming Black Metal; this song annihilate my brain cells mercilessly. Next comes “Where the Light Cannot Reach”, a familiar opener riff, some synth used in a very good way to give this song an extra touch of gloomy atmosphere, and a soft break so cold and beautiful, just to enter again with all the heavy artillery after some seconds…
And the final track, “Under a Sinister Moon”. The last 7 minutes in this EP. Starting like a furious and raging storm, leading you to the more insane side of obscurity. Looking at the lyrics again… and it’s all I was expecting to find:
“Beyond the hills
Lies the frozen forest
Wherein a darkness grows
My soul will be corrupted
My life will be devoured”
Another freezing and calm break at half the song, maybe as a reminder that in the end, only total obscurity remains. But again… this track, and thus the EP, ends with a relentless cascade made of a rampant mix of sick drumming, tremolo guitars, synths and kind of chaotic vocals thrown in there. After the worst of turmoils, we all end up in nothingness.
Definitely… Azaketh plays some kind of magic spell here, outstanding Black Metal! With no doubt, this is 10/10 for me Sílvia
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10/10 Immortal Classic
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